the bowen mountain association inc. newsletter€¦ · paul julian, lovely elizabeth with her fairy...

In This Issue Crago Observatory

Halloween in the Park

New Defibrillator unveiled

The Bowen Mountain Association Inc.

N E W S L E T T E RIssue No 136 S u m m e r December 2018

The Bowen Mountain Newsletter is a quarterly publicationcompiled by a sub-committee of the Bowen MountainAssociation Inc. and delivered free to residents of BowenMountain and to Grose Vale Post Office.

For verification purposes, articles submitted for publicationare to include the author's name, address or phonenumber. Unacknowledged articles will not be published.

This Newsletter is published by the Bowen MountainAssociation to disseminate free and charged informationfor the benefit of the Bowen Mountain residents.

However, the Bowen Mountain Association does notguarantee, and accepts no legal liability whatsoeverarising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability,currency or completeness of any published material.

Permission to reproduce any part of the Newsletter maybe obtained by writing to the address below.

EditorSue Hoare - 4572 1140

AdvertisingBill Kerr – 0409 989 810

Email address for lodgement of newsletter contributions:

<[email protected]>

Newsletter Mailing address:BMA Newsletter Committee

2 Currawong Crs, Bowen Mt. 2753

Website: www.bowenmountain.org.aufacebook.com search for ‘Bowen Mountain’

DEADLINE for March Issue1 February 2019

COVERCrago Observatory

John Wulff

Subscriptions to the Bowen Mountain Association Inc. canbe forwarded to: The Treasurer

Bowen Mountain AssociationPO Box 3141, GROSE VALE 2753

$10 - family $5 – singleBendigo Bank

BSB: 633 000Account No.: 1182 44003

Account name: BOWEN MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION INC.

Editor’s LetterGreetings once again – it's difficult to reconcile howquickly 2018 has sped along and with this being thelast edition of the Newsletter for the year, I’m sureyou too are asking “What on earth have we done thisyear – it’s almost Christmas?”.

On behalf of the Newsletter team, I would like totake this opportunity to wish one and all a very safeand healthy festive season. Enjoy the company offamily and friends and start planning for a New Yearfull of resolutions - which I unfortunately, ultimatelybreak!

I would like to take this opportunity to say “thankyou” to the band of workers who produce, deliverand provide this publication to the residents ofBowen Mountain, not forgetting those of you whoprovide input to the Newsletter itself, such as currentevents and interesting articles. Your contributionsover the years have been most gratefully received.

With fond memories and a degree of regret I will bidyou farewell as this will be my last input as theEditor. All the very best for 2019 and the manyyears ahead.

Sincerely, Susan Hoare

Newsletter Editorial CommitteeSue Hoare, Elaine Leahy, Judith Mitchell, Robin Woods,

John Wulff, Alison Kerr.Distribution Coordinator: Colin Chesterman 4572 1710.

Bowen Mountain Association Inc. ExecutivePresident - Bill Kerr

Vice President – Lance MitchellSecretary - Alison Kerr

<[email protected]>Treasurer – Ken Barnes

General CommitteeSue Hoare, Colin Chesterman, Sarah Morgan,

Karl O’Rouke, Liz Rowan, John Wulff

Arts Fest CommitteeSarah Morgan, Caithlin Murray

Karl O’Rouke, Alison Kerr, Bill Kerr

Sub-Committee CoordinatorsNewsletter – Sue Hoare

Community Care – Liz RowanWebmaster – Chris Duckworth

Facebook Administrator

BMA Committee meetings are held in the ParkCommunity Room on the second Monday of

each month at 7.30pm

BMA Mailing address: PO Box 3141, GROSE VALE NSW 2753

2 Bowen Mountain Association Newsletter - December 2018

http://www.bowenmountain.org.au/

http://www.facebook.com/

President and Secretary’s Report October – December 2018

Lifesize furry friends, Wizard of Oz flashmobs, ascreaming bat on a zip line, a witch riding a bikeacross the night sky, graveyards under the trees,ghosts, ghouls, witches and a plethora of charactersheralded the highly successful third Halloween eventin Bowen Mountain Park. Over 350 hundred peopleattended this event which proved to be just assuccessful this year as it has been in previous years.Many thanks to everyone who helped make thisevent so successful. A special thanks to Lance &Hope Mitchell, Sarah & Roy Morgan, Karl &Christina O’Rourke, Bill & Alison Kerr, EvetteSinton, Christine Johns, Crystal Evans and SelenaPurcell for their tireless and creative efforts inmaking this a wonderful event. Read the report andsee the photos further in the newsletter. For moreextensive photos and commentaries “Like” BowenMountain Facebook page.

The BMA is planning an abundance of entertainingactivities for 2019, which are on the advancedcalendar in this newsletter. The BMA will be onannual holidays during December and will resumemeetings in January 2019. We would like to thankthe Bowen Mountain Management Committee andthe subcommittees for all their tireless workthroughout 2018 as they strive to make BowenMountain a quality environment for all to enjoy. Onbehalf of the Bowen Mountain Association, wewould like to take this opportunity to wish you all avery merry, healthy and safe Christmas and a 2019filled with peace, happiness, good health andsuccess.

Bill and Alison KerrPresident and Secretary, Bowen Mountain Association

Bowen Mountain Association Newsletter - December 2018 3

Christmas in the Park

Join us in the park When: SATURDAY 15th December, 3pm-6.30pmWhere: BOWEN MOUNTAIN PARKBring your picnic and join in the fun. More details in the Park Report.

BOWEN MOUNTAIN AUTUMN MARKET DAYSUSTAINABILITY FAIR AND CAR BOOT SALE

Come buy or sell your plants, fruit, vegies, seedlings, pots, small bri-a brac, jams, cakes, clothing, demonstrations, coffee cart, raffle

WHEN: SATURDAY 6th APRIL 2019 8.30am – 3.00pm

WHERE: BOWEN MOUNTAIN PARK Book your car space or market stand at $20.00HOW: Phone Alison: 45 721 309A fun family day with games, children’s activities, BBQ, music, Market stalls.Demonstrations of composting, building a sustainable vegie garden, planting drought tolerant plants, weed eradication. Another event organised by your Bowen Mountain Association.

2019 CALENDAR OF COMMUNITY EVENTS

DATE ITEMJANUARY Monday 14th BMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park HallFEBRUARY Monday 11th BMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park HallMARCH Monday 11th

Sunday 17th

BMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park Hall

BMA Dinner – St. Patrick’s Day- TBA All Welcome.

APRIL Saturday 6th

Monday 8th Car Boot Sale and Sustainability Fair – ParkBMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park Hall

MAY Monday 13th BMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park HallJUNE Monday 10th

Sunday 16th


Winter Interlude – Bowen Mountain Park HallJULY Monday 8th

Date and Venue TBC


BMA DinnerAUGUST Monday 12th

Sunday 18th


BMA AGM SEPTEMBER Monday 9th BMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park HallOCTOBER Monday 14th

Thursday 31stBMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park HallHalloween Happenings – Bowen Mountain Park Hall – All Welcome

NOVEMBER Monday 11th Date and Venue TBC

BMA MEETING – Bowen Mountain Park HallBMA Dinner

DECEMBER Monday 9th BMA Christmas Party – Bowen Mountain Park HallBMA COMMITTEE MEETING: Second Monday of every month at 7:30 pmNOTE: Dates may be subject to change depending on weather and other factors. Due notice will be provided.

On Sunday, 28 October, the Bowen MountainAssociation (BMA) and the Bowen Mountain ParkManagement Committee unveiled their newAutomatic External Defibrillator (AED) machine inBowen Mountain Park. The AED was provided byBendigo Bank North Richmond and Richmond aspart of the Bank’s National ‘Defib for Life’initiative.

Training was provided by Frances Mounter of PulseFirst Aid for a group of 14 residents on the day.

Frances gave the trainees a very insightful andentertaining practitioner’s view to CPR and the useof the AED. The machine is self-prompting andeasy to use, and is stored in an alarmed cabinetoutside the Park Hall. The cabinet is covered by 24/7video surveillance.

Bowen Mountain, an isolated ‘bush’ communityconsisting of over 600 homes, has only 1 road in andout of the community. As such, ambulance servicesare somewhat limited by access, and response timesof 30+ minutes have been experienced in suspectedcardiac situations, even though survival rates incardiac arrest situations are critically dependent onCPR/ defibrillation being undertaken within the first10 minutes. The BMA believes that a locally-housed defibrillator with trained local operators willincrease the survival rate of cardiac events onBowen Mountain.

The Bowen Mountain Association and the BowenMountain Park Management Committee wish tothank all those who assisted with this project, and,especially, the Bendigo Bank for their generosity inproviding the AED for Bowen Mountain Park.


Defib Machine for Bowen Mountain

Park ReportBowen Mountain Park Management Committee (BMPMC)

Youth Disco 19th July

The Bowen Mountain Park Management Committeerecently held their first Youth Disco for childrenages 12 and under. Despite the cold, we had a verysuccessful night with 65 children in attendance. Thefeedback we have received suggests that not only thechildren had a great time but the parents and carersalso had a wonderful night. Our only complaint wasabout the lack of playground lighting which we’rehappy to say has finally been fixed by council. Wewould like to say a very big thank to KurrajongBakehouse, Value Valley Meats, Popple Lane,Kurrajong Water Carters, Blue Mountains NaturalSpring Water and Words and Pixels. Also a bigthank you to those that contributed items and helpedout on the night; Peta Miller, Ben and Sally Maw,Paul Julian, lovely Elizabeth with her fairy floss,Grandma (Diane Shaw), Stacey and her partner andanybody else I may have missed. And finally a verybig thank you to Ray Snell and our Grose Vale RFS-we cannot thank you enough for the fantastic jobyou all did with our sausage sizzle. We hope thatthis is the start of more great things to come.

Teen Movie Night 5th October

Unfortunately due to the horrible weather conditionson the night of our Teen Movie Night, attendancewas minimal. However, those that came insisted thatthey thoroughly enjoyed themselves and loved thechoice of movie. There was plenty of pizza,popcorn, lollies and spiders, and a massive pillowfight that concluded our evening. Hopefully theweather is nicer to us in future.

Working Bee Sat. 13th October

The post on the pedestrian/vehicular gate near thecar park was set in concrete so that both gates now

swing freely above the ground & the latch now doesnot fall down and bonk unsuspecting children on thehead. Ben at Sully’s Nursery Kurmond donated 2grevilleas, 2 kangaroo’s paw and a beautifulPoorinda Ballerina shrub that were planted near thePlay equipment seat. Thanks to all those whohelped for the clean-up of the internal store roomsand who cleaned the windows.

Defibrillator in the Park

An Automated External Defibrillator (AEF) hasbeen installed (front of Hall building on the BunyaCres. side) for community use. Thanks to Howardfor the great frame for the instructions,; to Stacy andthe BMA for obtaining the generous funding fromthe Bendigo Bank to cover the cost of the AED.

Koala Sighting

A koala (not a bear, it is a marsupial, or pouchedmammal) was resident in a tree just outside the parkfence on Sunday 4th November They are difficult tospot but its position was seen because it was beingswooped on by currawongs. We are not sure whythey would want to annoy a koala as you can’timagine a koala being a threat unless there was acurrawong nest nearby. The koala could not be seenthe next day. pic Denyse Chesterman

FUTURE PARK ACITIVITIES

Exercise activities in the ParkCome and join in on one of the park group classesrun by Accredited Exercise Physiologist Elka Cruz.Classes include: Boxing on Monday’s at 10am,Standing Strong on Thursday’s at 11am andFoundations Plus on Saturday mornings at 7:30am.Places are limited so to book your spot or for moreinformation feel free to contact Elka at

[email protected] or on 0450 964 008

Christmas in the Park 15th December,2018Join us in the park from 3pm on Saturday 15th ofDecember to celebrate Christmas in BowenMountain style. Bring your picnic. There will bestalls for last minute Christmas gifts, cakes & lollies,free novelty activities with prizes to be won, a slipand slide and other water activities. From 5pm wewill have an appearance from that special man in hisred suit and performances by local performersconcluding at approx. 6:30pm. During the eveningwe will be selling raffle tickets and keeping an eyeout for most festive outfits to be awarded a prize. Ifthe weather is great we hope to see you there tosupport us with future events and improvements toour local park! Colin Chesterman (Chairman) BMPMC


FIRE LIAISON REPORT

Apart from the wet and variable weatherexperienced during October, Bowen Mountain andGrose Vale had a relatively dry Spring which hadseen considerable drying of vegetation, leaf litterand sub soil. The Bureau of Meteorology seasonaloutlook suggests a continuance of warmer and drierthan normal conditions over coming months whichmay increase the potential for fire in our Districtduring summer.

Bush Fire Season: the Bush Fire Season for theHawkesbury was bought forward to the1 st September and fire permits will be required for those wishing toconduct a burn, in addition to therequirements of Hawkesbury CityCouncil Open Burning Policy

Pile Burns: if you are planning to undertake a pileburn, it is a requirement that you notify HawkesburyCity Council all year round and during the fireseason, obtain a permit by contacting HawkesburyDistrict Fire Control Office.

Further information is available from theHawkesbury District Fire Control Centre on: 45606400 and the Hawkesbury City Council website:www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/environment/health-and-safety/open-burning or contacting HawkesburyCity Council on 4560 4444.

The NSW RFS Pile Burn Standard notes that pilesmust be constructed and burnt in accordance withthat Standard, for instance:

• Piles should be 2 metres x 2 metres x 1.5 metreshigh; and

• There is 2 metres clearance around the pile/s;and

• Pile(s) are 20 metres from any building; and

• You notify all residents who adjoin yourproperty at least 24 hours prior to lighting.

Further information regarding the Pile BurnStandard is available from the NSW RFS website:www.rfs.nsw.gov.au Enter in the search bar PileBurn Standards.

Total Fire Bans: since the beginning of August,NSW has already experienced a number of TotalFire Ban days (TOBANS).

On very high to extreme fire days, bush and grassfires are more likely to spread and cause damagewhen the weather is very hot, dry and windy.Therefore, to reduce the risk of fires damaging ordestroying life, property and the environment, theNSW RFS Commissioner may declare a Total FireBan.

Total Fire Bans helps limit the potential of firesdeveloping and the NSW Rural Fire Service notes aTotal Fire Ban means: no fires out in the open.During a Total Fire Ban you cannot light, maintainor use a fire in the open, or to carry out any activityin the open that causes, or is likely to cause, a fire.No general purpose hot works, such as welding,grinding or gas cutting can be done in the open andthe NSW RFS strongly recommends activities suchas using a tractor or slashing on rural properties andacreage, be carefully considered.

Can I use an electric BBQ? – you may to use anelectric barbeque for cooking as long as it is underthe direct control of a responsible adult, who ispresent at all times while it is operating, and nocombustible material is allowed within 2 metres atany time it is operating.

Can I use a gas BBQ? - You may use a gasbarbecue under the following conditions:

• It is under the direct control of a responsibleadult, who is present at all times while it isoperating;

• No combustible material is allowed within 2metres at any time it is operating;

• You have an immediate and continuous supplyof water; and

• The barbeque is within 20 metres of a permanentprivate dwelling such as a home; or

• The barbeque is within a designated picnic areaand the appliance is approved by Council,National Parks or State Forest.

Can I use a BBQ or pizza oven which burns solidfuel (e.g. wood, charcoal, heat beads)? - No. Abarbecue or wood fire pizza oven which uses solidfuel, such as wood, charcoal or heat beads, cannot beused outside during a Total Fire Ban.

Can I use fire during a Total Fire Ban if I have afire permit? - No. Permits are suspended on days ofa Total Fire Ban. Permits may resume after the TotalFire Ban is lifted, as long as the permit hasn'texpired. Contact your Brigade Permit Officer or thenearest NSW RFS Fire Control centre for furtherinformation.

Are there any exemptions during a Total FireBan? - A range of activities may be exempt fromTotal Fire Bans, such as emergency infrastructurework, bee hive smokers, mining operations, sugarcane harvesting, use of fireworks or ceremonialfires. The NSW RFS Commissioner is responsiblefor exemptions to Total Fire Bans. Theseexemptions are detailed in the NSW GovernmentGazette each time a Total Fire Ban is declared.


What penalties are there for lighting a fire duringa Total Fire Ban? - Lighting a fire on a day of TotalFire Ban attracts an on the spot fine of $2,200. If thematter goes to court, you could be subject to a fineof up to $5,500 and/or 12 months gaol. Penaltiesfor a fire that escapes and damages or destroys life,property or the environment can attract much greaterfines and gaol terms with maximums at $132,000and/or 14 years gaol. Civil law suits can also bebrought against the person responsible for a fire bythose seeking compensation for losses sustained.

What is a No Burn day? - The EPA may prohibitthe burning of fires in the open or in incinerators byissuing a No-Burn Notice if it is of the opinion that,because forecast weather conditions, burning is

likely to contribute to the build-up of air pollution.To find out if a No-Burn notice is in force check theEPA website or check the Public Notices section ofthe Sydney Morning Herald. A No-Burn notice willbe published in the newspaper on the day it is inforce; or call the EPA Environmental InformationLine on 131 555.

Grose Vale Rural Fire Brigade welcomes newmembers and if you are interested in joining yourlocal Brigade please contact Hawkesbury DistrictFire Control Centre on 4560 6400 or find us onfacebook.com search for Grose Vale.

Grose Vale Brigade Community Engagement Officer -

Greg Walker

Hi everyone. Today I’m going to be talking abouthow my community is different to the rest of NSW.

As you know all of us live in different communities.Some of us live in the same communities as ourfriends, but some of us live in all differentcommunities.

The community I live in is called Bowen Mountain.In Bowen Mountain we have a community hall,observatory, a waterfall and lots of lookouts andbush trails. In Bowen Mountain we have anewsletter that we get four times a year. Thenewsletter tells us if there’s any bush fires aroundour area, any special events happening in BowenMountain Park and lots more.

Now this part of my community isn’t that differentto other communities but I will still tell you about it.At the back of lots of houses they have bush trailsthat lead to all different cool places. If you ever goto the Bowen Mountain Observatory you will see along bush trail that leads to a whole big bunch ofrocks. At the back of my place I have a long bushtrail that leads to a bunch of caves. One day my Dadand I went down the long trail and into the caves.We saw on the sides of the caves that people hadwritten their names. I even saw one that said ‘Ava’.We saw some hand prints too.

At this time of the year the Bowen MountainAssociation is busily getting ready for our annualHalloween Festival that takes place in our beautiful

park. Wonderful volunteers of our communitydedicate their time to decorate our park, organisestalls for the night and lots more including the greatBBQ they provide. At the annual Halloween festivalthey have lots of sweet treats and sausages. Theyalso have running games. On October 31st I likegoing trick or treating with all my friends. We startat the eastern end and make our way up to the park.When my friends and I get to the park, we leave ourstuff with our parents and join in with the runninggames. The children like to dress up as the ghouliestand scariest characters you’ve ever seen. The parentsalso like to join in with this.

There are lots of other events that happen in ourpark. Some of these include car boot sales, WinterInterlude concerts for music lovers and not to forgetthat our Park Hall is always available for family andfriends functions. Examples include Christmasparties, baby showers, birthday parties and evenweddings.

In Bowen Mountain there is a spring water business.The business is called Bowen Mountain NaturalSpring Water. You too might have already realisedthis but a couple of weeks ago before our school’sCountry Fete there was a whole load of water infront of the canteen. A whole bunch got donated toour school for the Country Fete. Thank you.

This talk was given by Y3 Grose View student, AvaPlacheki for the Hawkesbury Public SpeakingCompetition.


How my community is different to the rest of NSW

to Marian Hanly

Bowen Mountain Halloween Festival, 2018

As darkness fell on the mountain all manner of tinymonsters began to creep from the shadows in BowenMountain Park. Smoke drifted through thegraveyard, swirling around the fresh graves, noosesand slowly opening trapdoors. A black demon,presumably a ghoul or banshee, screeched overheadas the monsters lurched from their gloomy lairs. The2018 Bowen Mountain Halloween Festival hadbegun!

This year marked an incredible, all-out effort onbehalf of the small but energetic HalloweenCommittee. There were fascinating sets and displayssprinkled all over the park. A huge graveyard full offresh graves and old, weathered crucifixes wasmarked by an old crooked and splintered picketfence. A towering Jack Skelington lurched in thebreeze surrounded by moldy nooses and jack-o-lanterns. The old gravity feed tank created mysteryand intrigue again with the haunting story of RyanTurner, lured into a watery tomb by the ghost ofWilliam Clifton. Passers-by could hear the laughterof a small boy echoing up from the old tank. Therewere witches hats hanging from trees, lanternsbejeweling the old mossy oak tree and hundreds ofhaunting pictures of Halloween costumes ofyesteryear, circa 1920.

There were games and activities for the kids(Zombie Bulrush, Three-Legged Monster Races,Eye-ball-and-spoon Races) and ghost stories in thekiosk.

The festival was graced with the presence of notabledrama groups such as The Richmond Players, whobrought the entire cast of their latest production ‘TheWizard of Oz’ in full costume and character. TheAustralian Fursuiters brought their usual hilarity andspontaneous energy. The Grose View Dance Groupwas a crowd favourite with a ‘Flash Mob’ styledance that thoroughly entertained the largegathering.

There was live music by awesome local talentWillem Sherlock Roorda, who played many sets andprovided a wonderful atmosphere for the evening.There was face-painting, fairy floss, arts and craft,and of course, the famous BMA bbq.

There was an abundance of gourmet food thanks toEvette Sinton and her team – human brains madefrom rice bubbles and melted marshmallows, fleshbrownies, and gorey popcorn.

The Festival concluded with a huge Fancy DressParade. The Federal Member for Macquarie theHon. Susan Templeman was assisted by themembers of The Richmond Players in awardingprizes for the most amazing costumes in eachcategory. Unfortunately a sudden and unexpected

downpour of rain sent the parade into chaos just asThe Grim Reaper arrived to throw handfuls ofconfectionery to the kids.

The merriment continued inside until the rainstopped just as suddenly, and those who remainedwere able to have their photo taken with the manyspecial guests.

The event was supported by two major sponsors.Bennett’s Property Group supported the event forthe second year in a row, really getting into the spiritof things and making the event possible. If you needto speak to someone about property valuation, saleor purchase, please see Bennett’s Property Groupand thank them for their wonderful support of ourcommunity organisation.

Bendigo Community Bank were also instrumental inmaking the event possible with a substantialdonation. Bendigo Bank continue to support theBowen Mountain Association who are thoroughlygrateful for this ongoing relationship.

Goody Goody Gumdrops in Kurrajong provided allthe prizes: huge jars of lollies for all the winners ofthe kids games and parade categories. Ding DangDoo Ranch supplied first prize for the raffle, thanksCarla!

But the most entertaining of all was the incrediblearray of costumes worn by festival goers. There wasa family of T-Rex dinosaurs, zombies, witches andlego people. Superhero’s, villains, butchers andprincesses. Clowns, devils and demons, skeletons,nuns, nurses and ghosts. Minions, a Chucky (fromChild’s Play), werewolves, grandmas and fairies.But above all, there was laughter. Smiles andgiggles, conversation and merriment. Thecommunity spirit was tangible at every turn andmoment.

The Bowen Mountain Halloween Festival is a BMAevent. We desperately need your help to make 2019possible. If you have any ideas or would like to beinvolved (in any capacity) please contact the BMAthrough the FaceBook page. Please “Like” BowenMountain, NSW for all the photos of the event.

Thank you for your support and see you all againnext year!

(PS- A HUGE thank you to the following people fortheir MONSTROUS effort in making this eventpossible: Sarah, Roy, Caitlyn & Olivia Morgan, Karl& Christina O’Rourke, Evette Sinton, ChristineJohns, Hope & Maisie Mitchell, Bill and AlisonKerr, Sue Hoare, Jana Jamieson, Carla Cox, SelenaPurcell, Crystal Evans, Colin & Denyse Chesterman,Ken Barnes, Wayne Lowen and Shane Maxfield(aka the Bo Mo Grim Reaper and all round goodguy).


HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT HOW CRAGO OBSERVATORYCAME TO BE ON BOWEN MOUNTAIN ??

Crago Observatory is situated on the northern end ofBowen Mountain. Recently, Paul Hatchman fromthe NSW Astronomical Society gave a mostilluminating talk on the history of CragoObservatory at our AGM meeting. Many peoplewho couldn’t attend have asked for a copy of thetalk to be printed in the newsletter. Here are exceptsfrom Paul’s talk.

Who are the NSW Astronomical Society?

We are an Amateur Astronomy Society with over450 Members. We undertake observing Facilities atCrago Observatory and “Wiruna” (Dark Sky Site) –

Ilford. Our many and varied activities include:monthly talks by professional Astronomers(Epping), Astroimaging, maintaining Crago andWiruna observatories, production of the “Universe”Journal, astronomy nights for School, University,Scouts and many others and introduction toAstronomy courses.

How did Crago Observatory begin?

The NSW Astronomical Society history starts in1973 with the granting of a lease over “The Devil’sHole” area at the northern end of Bowen Mountain.


CRAGO OBSERVATORY under construction.

What does NSW Astronomical Society do atCrago Observatory?

We are a totally volunteer, member run facilitydedicated to public outreach and education inastronomy. We have a listed DesignatedObservatory status with Astronomical Society ofAustralia. We enjoy offering “Naked Eye” skytours, telescope tours of the solar system and deepsky objects. NSW Astronomical Society is a groupof knowledgeable volunteers who are passionate toanswer questions and educate the generalcommunity about astronomy. Our facility, CragoObservatory is a facility for members to use duringother times. We also run occasional Special Eventsand Community Open nights (see details in thenewsletter).

How can you as an adult, youth or child Help?

• You can become a Friend of the Observatory bykeeping a look out and report any issues. Helpus to keep light pollution to minimum soeveryone can enjoy all the treasures and magicof the solar system.

• We always welcome maintenance work in theform of welding, metal work, rust removal, solarpower, batteries and electrical.

• You can volunteer as an Observatory Guide,training provided. Your role will be to open andclose the observatory, run sky tours and keep thecrowds entertained!

Contact

• www.asnsw.com

• www.facebook.com/CragoOb s

• [email protected]

• Paul Hatchman: 0413 047 782

If you are interested in volunteering for any of theabove roles, your local contact is Alison Kerr on0419 167 088 or [email protected] This is anopportunity to help keep the uniqueness of BowenMountain alive by assisting Crago Observatory.Please help keep the Observatory operational.


http://www.facebook.com/CragoObs

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/CragoObs

Culinary Corner

Welsh Bara Brith

Ingredients

350 gms dried mixed fruit275 ml cold tea225 gms brown sugar350 gms self-raising flour1 eggPinch mixed spice

Soak the dried fruit and brown sugar in cold tea in amedium size bowl and leave overnight

Add flour, beaten eggs and mixed spice

Mix well

Place mixture equally between three loaf tins thathave been greased and lined with grease-proofpaper.

Bake at 170C (325F, Gas mark 3) for 90-105minutes

Cool on trays

Serve sliced and buttered Elaine Leahy

Anzac Slice

1 ¼ cups of plain flour1 ¼ cups of rolled oats1 cup of firmly packed brown

sugar1 cup shredded coconut150 gms butter- chopped2 tablespoons golden syrup½ teaspoon bi-carb soda2 tablespoons boiling water

Pre-heat oven to 180 (160 for fan forced).

Grease and line a 19x29 slice pan. Combine all dryingredients (except bi- carb soda) in a large bowl.Melt butter and golden syrup in a saucepan, add bi-carb soda to boiling water then add to buttermixture. Add butter to dry ingredients and mix well.Press into tray and bake for 25-30 min or untilgolden. Cool in pan, cut into squares.

Sarah Morgan

The Bowen Mountain Children's and Youth Art Festwas held on the weekend of 17th & 18th Novemberin the park. As expected, the quality of artworksentered across all age groups was of anexceptionally high standard and the judges had adifficult time deciding on the award winners. DeputyMayor Mary Lyons Bucket attended the openingceremony and handed out prizes. Feedback fromthose in attendance have confirmed a successfulrevival of the mountains famous art festival of past.

The “Art on the Move” Exhibition will be held onFriday 11th January to Friday 1st February 2019 atKurrajong Kitchen Gallery. Sarah Morgan


Art Fest

Kids Korner

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas !!


Community Notices


BOWEN MOUNTAIN BUSHWALK BOOK5th edition

Ring Yane Jamieson4572 1321

Join the BMA facebook Page andconnect with other people from Bowen

Mountain.

To go to the BMA facebook Page

Go to www.facebook.com

Create your facebook account (this is free)Search for ‘Bowen Mountain’ (the logo is the Bunya Tree)

Send a ‘Friend’ request to get accepted.

You will f ind lots of up to the minuteinformation from the Mountain.

CRAGO OBSERVATORYThe Observatory is operated by the AstronomicalSociety of NSW and is located at the northern end ofLt Bowen Road, about 200 metres past the gate onthe fire trail.

Residents are welcome to attend our stargazingevenings on the listed Saturdays in 2018 subject toweather.

Saturday 1 Dec 2018Saturday 26 Jan 2019Saturday 2 Mar 2019Saturday 30 Mar 2019

Please remember to cover your torcheswith red cellophane as you approach theobservatory. White light causes the pupil of the eyeto contract and it takes 20-30 minutes to regain darkadaptation.

For further information, and to confirmFriday openings, contact Paul Hatchman0413 047 782 or [email protected]

ADVERTISERS WANTED!Don’t forget, if you own a business, and you would like to showcase it to your Bowen Mountain neighboursby advertising in the BMA Newsletter, please contact Alison or Bill Kerr on (02) 4572 1309. Our rates arevery reasonable, and you would help support the continuing publication of this Newsletter.

Congratulations to all our HSC and year 10 students. We wish them well in their future endeavours.

InvitationCommunity Care Christmas Lunch

Monday 3rd December 201811.30am – 1.30pm

Bowen Mountain HallRSVP Liz 4572 2416 or 0412 196 724

Blue MountainsNatural Spring Water

Prepay for 25 x 15L Bottles of NaturalSpring Water

Get a FREE Bench Top Hot & Cold WaterDispenser!

Call 0499 288 327 or [email protected]

11 Grandview Lane, BOWEN MOUNTAINNSW 2753

www.springwater.com.au

Christmas event before Christmas:

Carols in the Park – Kurrajong memorial park 15th December, family activities from 6pm, carols from 7:30pm

Christmas services:

Christmas eve 24/12 6pm family celebration followed by free dinner

Christmas day 25/12 8am traditional service in historic St Stephen’s church, 9:30am family celebration

Website: www.knac.org.au; phone: 4573 2183

http://www.knac.org.au/

BOWEN BUSINESS

Sonia TilleyHome HelpBefore & After School

Care

ABN 56 307 813 [email protected]

0415 271 23145 Waratah Street

Bowen Mountain, NSW 2753

BOWEN BUSINESS

the bowen mountain association inc. newsletter€¦ · paul julian, lovely elizabeth with her fairy...

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